ABSTRACT
This essay investigates the circulation of classical Chinese poetry between various sites of elite and popular culture in Taiwan. After a brief introduction into the nature and social valorization of Chinese language and script in Taiwan, the essay engages three topics related to this circulation: the agency of public schools in the widespread promotion of a selected literary canon through its primary and middle school curricula; the general dispersal of a residual “poetic effect” into various arenas where formal language is given special staging; and finally the example of a single, highly emblematic poetic text that permeates an entire range of cultural sites, from literary anthologies to sexy underwear.
